Enter any address in Fresno County, California to see its FEMA flood zone
Fresno County experiences frequent flooding events, with 312 flood events and 32 flash flood events recorded in the last 30 years. Recent examples include nuisance flooding reported on February 13, 2025, associated with a large upper low-pressure system that brought widespread precipitation and strong winds. Another event on February 6, 2025, saw widespread precipitation across the area as a low-pressure system moved inland, with higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada receiving significant liquid precipitation.
National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) claims data indicates that properties in Zone A and Zone X_UNSHADED have experienced significant payouts and water depths, averaging over $10,000 and nearly 2 feet of water. Properties in Zone X also show substantial average payouts and a notable average water depth of 7.9 feet, though Zone X_SHADED properties have a negative average water depth. Homeowners in or near these zones, particularly those without a Base Flood Elevation (BFE) or in areas designated as Zone A, should pay close attention to flood risk.
Summary generated from NOAA storm narratives and NFIP claim data for this county. Not predictive.
290 NOAA storm reports from this county describe what happened, in the words of the meteorologists who were there.
Fresno County, California has recorded 344 flood-related events since 1996 according to NOAA's Storm Events Database, including 32 flash floods and 312 river or area floods. The county has received 20 federal disaster declarations, 6 of which involved flooding or coastal storms. Enter any address above to check its FEMA flood zone designation.
FEMA Disaster Declarations (1969–2023)
Source: OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries.
| Declaration | Type | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Flood | Mar 9, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Straight-line Winds, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Severe Storm | Feb 21, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, And Mudslides | Flood | Jan 8, 2023 |
| Severe Winter Storms, Flooding, Landslides, And Mudslides | Flood | Dec 27, 2022 |
| Creek Fire | Fire | Sep 6, 2020 |
| Wildfires | Fire | Sep 4, 2020 |
| Covid-19 | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Covid-19 Pandemic | Biological | Jan 20, 2020 |
| Goose Fire | Fire | Jul 30, 2016 |
| Severe Freeze | Freezing | Jan 11, 2007 |
NOAA Storm Events Database (1996–2025)
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
| Type | Date | Damage |
|---|---|---|
| Flood | Dec 24, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Nov 15, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 13, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 6, 2025 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Nov 26, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Dec 24, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 19, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Mar 6, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 4, 2024 | 0.00K |
| Flood | Feb 27, 2023 | 0.00K |
Flood — Dec 24, 2025
A strong atmospheric river moved through California late on December 23rd into the afternoon of December 24th. Very heavy rainfall and strong gusty winds were observed across most of our County Warning Area (CWA). The heaviest rainfall was observed in Fresno, Mariposa and Kern County. Rainfall ranged from around half inch up to four inches in some localized areas. Flash flooding occurred mainly...
Flood — Nov 15, 2025
A prolonged period with significant precipitation occurred on the 13th until the 17th due to a series of systems that brought abundant moisture. Many San Joaquin Valley locations received around 1-3 inches of rain for that period, and the Sierra Nevada foothills, as well as the Sierra Nevada below the snow line, received around 3-6 inches. Snow levels varied from around 8,000 to 9,500 feet from...
Flood — Feb 13, 2025
A large upper low pressure system and associated trough moved across California on February 13 bringing widespread moderate to heavy precipitation to the area along with damaging wind gusts. Several reports of nuisance flooding were reported on February 13. There were also several reports of trees and power lines knocked down by strong wind gusts as several station reported gusts above 60 mph a...
Flood — Feb 6, 2025
A low pressure system moved inland out of the Pacific Ocean into central California during the morning of February 6. As a result, widespread precipitation spread across the area during the late morning and early afternoon hours. Much of the Sierra Nevada picked up between 0.75 and 1.50 inches of liquid precipitation with the snow level rising from 6500 feet on the morning of February 6 to arou...
Flood — Nov 26, 2024
A large upper low pressure system which had remained nearly stationary off the Pacific Northwest coast for several days moved inland across the Pacific Northwest on November 26. This low pulled up a surge of deep moisture into central California between the evening of November 25 and the evening of November 26. This atmospheric river type system brought moderate to locally heavy precipitation t...
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Storm Events Database.
Source: OpenFEMA NFIP Individual Claims (2.25M records analyzed).
FEMA assigns flood zone designations to areas in Fresno County, California:
AE High Risk — 1% annual chance of flooding. Insurance required.
VE Very High Risk — Coastal flooding with wave action.
X (Shaded) Moderate Risk — 500-year floodplain.
X Low Risk — Outside major floodplains.
Properties in Fresno County, California that are in FEMA-designated Special Flood Hazard Areas (zones A and V) with federally backed mortgages are required to carry flood insurance.
Even outside high-risk zones, flood insurance is recommended. From 2014 to 2024, nearly one-third of NFIP claims came from outside the high-risk Special Flood Hazard Area.
Visit FloodSmart.gov to find an agent and get a quote.